Sorbetes

One of the things I miss the most about the Philippines is the constant ringing and shouts of vendors calling out their wares to the public.  One of my all time favorites is the sorbetes or "dirty ice cream"

The most common belief held of why it is called as such is the fact that it is pedaled on the streets and that "manong sorbetero" (the sorbetes vendor) doesn't even wash his hands or wear gloves when handling his product.  But being the kids we were (and still are), paid no heed to well-wishing parents and happily digged in to this not-so-creamy but oh-so-sweet conction.  Heck!  We might have been just as a dirty!

In the old, dusty back roads of a little subdivision in Cavite, where I used to spend my weekends with the family, manong sorbetero usually comes rolling in at around 1 p.m. just after lunch.  With money in hand, we'd call him over and order a batch to satisfy our sweet tooths.

Manong can only bring in 3 flavors at a time, which is the maximum number that his little cart allows.  Order by the cone or cup (price usually starts at Php10, but apparently in Manila, they sell for about Php12).  Not bad at all...

Believe me, even the nephew quickly latches on to his cone.

There is no one main company who manufactures these products.  Take our "suki" for instance, who proudly admits that he does all the work himself and has actually improved on the family recipe which he now sells every afternoon.

A very tasty treat indeed.